Here was the other offlist interesting question put to Dear Abby (I mean Chump Mark) in the mail tonight:
--- "Paul B.Schmidt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi, ... > > Thanks so much for posing the pics and drawings of > the biodiesel on the > web site. Am hoping to get something together > sometime soon and make it > my winter project. A few questions I have though. > How do you know how > much oil you've put in the system or methoxide for > that matter as well? > Do you just have to measure how many 5 gallon > buckets you dump into the > bucket that feeds the primed filler tube? Same on > the methoxide > line.... I'd guess you'd have to measure it all out > in advance and have > just the right amount of stuff in the carboy, no? Is > there any way to > accurately measure the sight tube or only by loading > it up and seeing > where it fills to I'd think? I'm probably going to > use it for a one > step processor for now and focus on doing a good > titration and going > from there. In the near future I'd like to get into > methanol recovery, > but am going to stick to single stage for now. any > ideas on the amounts? > > So then what's the issue about a closed system? Is > it just the vapors > that are given off druing the mixing or the pouring > it in stage? Seems > that a good lid with a pump/ stirrer in the > container would work then > ... no? > > -Paul hi Paul, this is the evening of the email biodiesel advice column for me. The first time I 'calibrate' (ie fill) the processor, I use a restaurant 5-gallon clear tub that has liters marked on it (these are common in the restaurant world). I fill the processor with a couple of these, make a mark on the sight tube, then add one more measured tubful and figure out how many inches on the sight tube the liquid rises each time I put in 20 liters, say. Then I make a mark on the sight tube for the full amount of oil I'll use and perhaps a half-batch sight tube mark as well. I usually write down how many inches to 20 liters so I can measure liquids in the sight tube just by using a yardstick if need be for partial batches. Methoxide: the carboys come with gallon marks on the sides. This makes me do a bad thing- I work in metric measurements but measure my methanol in gallons. Oh well. The exact methanol measurement isn't completely crucial. I have the methanol supply place fill the carboys for me (as though they were gas cans)- so I don' t actually have to do any handling of methanol. As far as fumes, they'l be there until you wash the biodiesel or distill off the methanol. There is extra methanol used in the reaction (which you need for a good reaction) and that's why we do methanol recovery (or should in theory). anyhow, it means that there are fumes coming off the process from the time you add methanol to the time you wash, and there are fumes that come off the glycerol part as well. It's not a big problem to control them though. Yes, a good lid works, if you can make it seal well. A stirrer processor is fine if you can seal the shaft of the propeller. I use 100% silicone caulk (not silicone/latex/acrylic mix) to make up my own gaskets when I need to seal an odd item like a lid. For stirred tank reactors, you can buy a bearing that is rated to withstand pressure (look in the phone book for bearings places and also look it up at Grainger or McMaster-Carr supply houses). this sort of bearing won't pass methanol fumes I believe (or won' t pass much I hope), although it all depends on how the bearing is attached to the lid etc... Good luck! mark > > > ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/index.php?list=biofuel Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/